SARS-CoV-2 Disease Severity and Cycle Threshold Values in Children Infected during Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron Periods, Colorado, USA, 2021-2022

In adults, viral load and disease severity can differ by SARS-CoV-2 variant, patterns less understood in children. We evaluated symptomatology, cycle threshold (Ct) values, and SARS-CoV-2 variants among 2,299 pediatric SARS-CoV-2 patients (0-21 years of age) in Colorado, USA, to determine whether children infected with Delta or Omicron had different symptom severity or Ct values than during earlier variants. Children infected during the Delta and Omicron periods had lower Ct values than those infected during pre-Delta, and children